Caroni Swamp and the Scarlet Ibis

Last Thursday, our group travelled to the Caroni Swamp with a very knowledgable guide named Winston Nanan, who now in his 50s was pulled out of school by his father at age 10 to hunt the Scarlet Ibis, never returned to school, yet has taken it upon himself to become the world's leading informally trained orinthinologist specializing in the Scarlet Ibis. The fascinating tour by boat took us through a complex network of estuary canals through thick wetland vegetation.

The Caroni Swamp is the largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located on the west coast of Trinidad, south of Port of Spain and northwest of Chaguanas, where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria.

The Caroni Swamp is an important tourist attraction and provides important habitat for the Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber), one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Scarlet Ibis is bright red in colour - the feathers being coloured through the synthesis of carotene present in some of their food (Fiddler and Aratus crabs, shrimp, algae and aquatic insects). The black pigment in the primary feathers is thought to give extra strength to the wing tip. Long neck counters long legs for reaching water surface and mud flats. The long legs are useful for wading in marshy ground, mud flats and mangrove stands.

The Scarlet Ibis is long-lived - It can live up to 18 years in captivity. Ibis are considered adults when they are about 2 years old- by this time they have gained their bright red colour. They follow an elaborate courtship and usually pair for life.

To the untrained eye Caroni Swamp looks just fine. Great expanses of open water sparkle in the sunshine; mangroves proliferate; herons, egrets, and ospreys patrol its channels; caiman lurk in the shadows; a new visitor centre, boardwalks, observation post, and a picnic area have sprung up.

Having said that, our guide Winston candidly mentioned to me that the day before we visited the swamp he was touring a group of German bird watchers until a shocking reality shattered the evening roosting routine. As dusk fell, 8 of the ibis they'd come to see were blasted out of the trees by poachers before their eyes, lifeless bundles plopping into the mud, blood invisible on their scarlet feathers. The imagery of Winston's words stung as my eyes fixed upon the mesmerizing red creatures flying home for the night.

The birding enthusiasts on Winston Nanan's boats were horrified. They told Winston they'd make it clear to the Government this was no way to encourage tourism. Some said they'd never return to Trinidad and would discourage people from coming here at all. Others demanded to leave the swamp immediately.

But the public slaughter of the 'protected' ibis is merely the most visible of the many problems facing Caroni Swamp.

Caroni Swamp is in trouble says Nanan. If its present state is a measure of the importance we place on our natural resources and tourism spin-offs then we, too, are in trouble.

For the problems that beset Caroni Swamp are a reflection of what is happening throughout Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the rest of the world for that matter: an ecological mismanagement, misguided priorities, over-stretched resources, pollution, poaching, and public ignorance and indifference.

I cant help but think how these issues are equally prevalent in Canada too. The Caroni Swamp was a remarkable lesson in the fragile beauty of our world's wildlife.